Tottenham and Arsenal spur on English hope in Champions League

As an avid Spurs fan, hearing news last year of our debut in the Champions League draw where we were to be pitted in a tough group involving previous Champions League winners Inter Milan and dutch league winners FC Twente I thought our time would be very much short lived. A few wonderous team performances (and, of course, the individual flair of wonderkid Gareth Bale, new signing Rafael Van Der Vaart and frontman Peter Crouch) and we somehow saw ourselves finish top of a particularly tough group.

Arch rivals Arsenal FC also saw relative success in their group, finishing a highly-respectable second after four wins and a comprehensive goal difference secured their place in the last 16.

Further afield, fellow English forces Chelsea and Manchester United also proved lethal in their individual groups, both finishing top and securing last 16 ties as their time in the Champions League extends. Unfortunately however Scottish title-chasers Rangers fell short of the mark, after poor performances in their group saw them finish third with a rather feeble six points from six games.

When the draws for the last 16 began to filter through I - like every other footballing fan - clutched at straws, hoping for a relatively easy tie in order for my team to progress in the final. Manchester United were handed an arguably easy tie against a lesser-skilled Marseille side, whilst Chelsea were also (again, arguably) gifted a two-legged tie with Group D runners up FC Copenhagen.

Celebrations were short-lived for fellow Londoners Arsenal and Tottenham however, as the footballing gods rewarded both teams' fine forms with ties against a romping Barcelona and current Italian league leaders AC Milan respectively. Though trying to remain optimistic, all I could see from both draws were defeats. From here on in, and particularly after seeing Spurs fall 4-0 down before half time against a 'weaker' Inter Milan side in their group stage, all I could have hoped for was a strong performance at the San Siro, and a respectable send off at home the following fortnight at White Hart Lane. Similarly (until Barcelona's surprise draw at the hands of Sporting Gijon last week) Arsenal were due to face a Spanish side with a formidable record of 16 consecutive La Liga victories and an unbeaten run in the CL before the tie.

However, after seeing Spurs spectacularly hold AC Milan for a good 80 minutes in their match on Tuesday before launching a deadly counter attacking run at a light Milan defence by winger Aaron Lennon - resulting in Peter Crouch's fine effort putting the away side in front - and record a 1-0 win in Italy, the patriotic side of me (and I'm ashamed to say this) urged for an Arsenal victory the following night.

Fair enough, as Barcelona routinely went ahead courtesy of a fine David Villa finish, I let out a burst of excitement as Arsenal went behind. However, Arsenal's fine comeback against the La Liga force also, surprisingly, saw me throw a fist in the air as our arch-rivals went on to overthrow the legendary Spanish side, recording only the second defeat of the season for Barcelona, finishing 2-1 and firmly putting a foot into the next stage of the tournament.

One can only hope that fellow English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea can replicate the success of Arsenal and Tottenham, and  the last eight of the Champions League will consist of four British clubs. Whether all four can maintain their fine form of present is yet to be determined, but when the draw for the last eight takes place, I can safely say pride will be my core feeling. However the draw turns out, having half of the balls drawn out being English will - if nothing else - confirm to the world why the Premier League is the most challenging in the world. Europe, watch out.

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Original blog posted by myself can be found at http://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/?p=38407

Free transport for travelling Cherries' fans

Following Tuesday's last-minute postponement of AFC Bournemouth's away match at Bristol Rovers, Cherries' chairman Eddie Mitchell has pledged to give free coach travel to fans for the rearranged game.

Referee Graham Salisbury, who will take charge of the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, made the decision to abandon the match after a late pitch inspection failed on grounds of waterlogging. The match had already been rearranged once before after snow prevented play on Boxing Day.

Mitchell realised that the second postponement, made just as travelling fans would be en-route to Bristol, was unfair for supporters: "It was disappointing to have the game called off so late. It was a fair distance to go to have to just turn around and come straight back and I'm sure a lot of our supporters had taken time off work to get there."

Manager Lee Bradbury was irate following Salisbury's last-minute decision, after the team coach arrived at the Memorial Stadium to hear news of the postponement moments after arrival. Of the verdict, a frustrated Bradbury revealed: "[Salisbury] said it was dangerous in that the ball was stopping in surface water. The ball was rolling freely. It was a little bit boggy, but a lot of pitches are at this time of year."

Mitchell has previously offered free travel to supporters for the Cherries' FA Cup second round tie with Notts County after that game was also postponed, and hopes supporters will benefit from his goodwill once more.


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(Original news story posted by myself at http://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/?p=38353)

Tweet no more: ICC ban use of the social networking site

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have imposed a wide-spread ban on Twitter updates. The ban - enforced upon players and match officials who update live Twitter feeds during games - has been placed to aid the prevention of corruption in the game.

Although corruption is rife in the sport, the clamp-down on live 'tweeting' has been made in the hope that the absence of players' and coaches' updates will prevent illegal behaviour later in the match - in particular involving betting syndicates.

The ban will be imposed during this year's World Cup matches on players and officials whilst their respective matches are in-play - although they can still tweet when not playing.

Whilst this is the first time officials will be banned from using the social networking site, it is seen as an extension on a previous ban in place regarding the use of mobile phones during matches.

ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald told AFP: "This is just a precaution, it's not something we are overly concerned about. But we do feel a team manager's phone should be used for operational purposes only during matches."

Last month, Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammed Amir were handed minimum 5-year bans from the sport following a spot-fixing scandal during an international match. Further afield, former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel was given a £10,000 fine for an outburst on Twitter regarding football referee Howard Webb after their 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United in January.

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(Original story posted by myself on http://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/?p=38327)

AFCB/Lee Bradbury - Thoughts of 2011 - Nerve Magazine

Published in Nerve* Magazine for Bournemouth University, March 2011 issue

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Earlier this month, James Hartnett caught up with AFC Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury ahead of a busy end-of-season fixture list. Sitting snugly in a hardly-fought contest for automatic promotion, Nerve* Sport brings you the low-down on the latest news from AFC Bournemouth, as well as newly-acquired manager Lee Bradbury’s thoughts of a possible winter break in football.

Following impressive form, AFC Bournemouth currently sit just behind leaders Brighton in the race for automatic promotion into the Championship next season. With the January transfer window well and truly passed, AFC Bournemouth now find themselves in the thick of a promotion struggle with a fleet of hot talent in their arsenal.

After continued impressive form, young striker Danny Ings last month put pen to paper on a new contract to keep him at Dean Court until 2013 whilst goalkeeper Shwan Jalal was also handed the ESPN PFA League 1 Player of the Month award in January. Of the two, Bradbury said “Danny’s shown great potential all season; he’s worked hard, set up and scored goals, and we can now make sure he fulfils this potential at Dean Court, whilst Shwan’s confidence must be sky-high now - he’s made some great saves and fully deserves his prize.”

Meanwhile, injury-hit Mark Molesley made his return to action recently, with minutes under his belt being of top priority. Bradbury revealed “he’s growing his fitness and confidence week-in week-out, and as long as he keeps going the way he’s going he won’t be far off joining the first team”.

Bradbury also mentioned deadline-day signing Ben Williamson is also sure to prove a handful for defenders in the future, constantly causing problems to centre-halves with his impressive pace and lethal finishing, and has already begun his goal tally for the club following his debut match for the reserve team at Forest Green in February.

However, Bradbury revealed doubt over securing the signing of Williamson after watching from the wings during former AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe’s reign, having to wait until he took charge to sign the promising youngster.

Williamson was one of three youngsters snapped up from the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain this January, with the reputable soccer school constantly attracting attention from teams worldwide for its continued production of talented footballers.

A winter break in the domestic season?

Lee also gave his view on whether a winter break would benefit professional footballers, feeling that with such bad weather as of late, players went weeks without a game in some cases anyway – time which could have been used resting and denying fatigue from settling in come the season’s close.

As for national team prospects, he remained neutral on if a break would be beneficial, pointing out that “we won’t know if it’s good until it’s tested”. But with international competition ever dominant in the footballing world, perhaps in this aspect a break is needed, with players on the world stage only ever capable of having a few weeks off before the next domestic season restarts.

Ed Sheeran interview @ TOFS, 12th Feb 2011

Pending editing, the below will also appear in Nerve* Magazine for Bournemouth University, March 2011 issue.

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When 20-year-old Ed Sheeran isn’t recording in the studio, he’ll be busy performing to sell out crowds or touring with music maestros such as Example and Devlin. James Hartnett caught up with the acoustic singer/songwriter before his sold out gig at The Old Fire Station last month to find out just what drives the man behind the music.

James Hartnett: First off, congratulations on your debut album’s success. How did it feel hearing you reached Number 2 in the charts?

Ed Sheeran: It was surreal - I wasn’t even expecting to hit #10, so to reach #2 was incredible. It was mental, I didn’t expect it to happen like that!

JH:  You’re background is folk and acoustic, but you’ve also delved into the more urban side of things. What style do you actually prefer?

ES: I’m just a singer/songwriter really! I called my newest album Collaborations No.5 so people will look back at my last four albums and realise that that is just me, with the kind of acoustic music you’d hear from Jason Mraz or Damien Rice.

JH: So what made you get into production with Example, Devlin, P-Money and other urban artists too?

ES: I think a lot of acoustic music sounds quite similar, so I just kind of shifted across to the urban scene since nobody else was doing it – they embraced me too, which was quite cool!

JH: I hear you’re quite good friends with Devlin and Example, and you’re also planned to go on tour with Devlin too. Does it feel surreal knowing you can just pick up your phone for a chat?

ES: With Devlin you can’t actually do that since he doesn’t have a phone! I remember meeting Devlin years ago, and I bought his CD when I was 16 and now I’m touring with them so it’s a bit nuts.

JH: You really rose to fame with SB.TVs YouTube video of “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”....

ES: Yeah! That changed everything really, I got pretty much everything out of that – including all of my collaborations for the album and a tour with Example.

JH: Your songs’ lyrics are powerful to say the least. What do you think of when you’re writing your tracks?

ES: I guess everyday life drives me. I want to touch on subjects the way people haven’t before, like love songs. I just try to get interesting, quotable lyrics too.

JH: You use a loop pedal quite a lot in your music. How did this come about?
ES: Gary Dunne supported Nizlopi in 2005 and used one, and after I booked him for a house gig at mine he taught me how to use it. I bought one the next day and I’ve been using it ever since!

JH: What’s influenced you to become a musician?

ES: [Pause] I wasn’t really good at anything else if I’m honest! I really enjoy it – it’s a great way to get stuff out of your system. Because you put so much effort into your songs, you really throw your emotions out there – I never get into fights or get angry, I just get really chilled and I think that’s why.

JH: How did you start in the industry?

ES: I actually started as a guitar technician on tour with Nizlopi, and I learnt everything from them. When I was about 11 I started listening to Damien Rice and, more recently, Foy Vance and got a lot of inspiration from these.

JH: You’ve just turned 20 and already you’ve made a name for yourself. Did you ever imagine you’d be this big when you started off?

ES: I wouldn’t say I’m big yet! But I’ve definitely progressed, in no small way to my fantastic fans. I could be producing music and nobody would have heard of me, but it’s because of such great fans that I’m in this position and it’s going so well.

JH: You’ve built a strong fan base from gigging. Is this a major part in terms of getting your name out there?

ES: I’ve done over 1,000 gigs and you’d think after the first 600 or so you’d think people would have heard of my name! It’s really important to have a strong live show and not rely on recorded songs.

JH: What would you say young aspiring musicians need to break through into the industry?

ES: My mistake when trying to get into the industry was thinking I’ll get signed and make an album at 16 and it just doesn’t happen – you really have to work hard. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the top. Just gig as much as you can, write as many songs as you can, and go to live gigs so you can network more. It’s not luck when you meet someone; you’re in that position because you’ve put yourself in that position to work your way up.

JH: You’ve just secured a six-album deal with Atlantic Records – is this a dream come true?

ES: It sounds bad but I was going to do it anyway – with Atlantic though it means now I can do things on a bigger scale with a bigger budget.  I’m in a really happy place, I’ve got people who really like my music and who let me produce the album I want to make and it’s a really nice position to be in.

JH: As for your next album, what can we expect to hear and when can we grab a copy?

ES: July! If anyone’s bought my last four albums, expect much of the same. The songs will tell stories, and they’ll be recorded better now I’ve got a bigger budget too and it sounds more like an Ed Sheeran album rather than the collaborations album in that it’s just me. There will be a few songs in there that people will know such as ‘The A-Team’, but I’ll feel like I’m cheating my audience if I just stick a few old EPs on an album and release it, so expect a lot of new material!

JH: And a single too?

ES: Definitely. The next one will be one that nobody’s heard of, from what will be my new album, as will my second, and the third.

JH: And finally, what more can we expect to see from Ed Sheeran in the future?

ES: [Creating a list with his fingers] An album, a few tours, every festival, Collaborations No.6 in two years time, and... I’ll just be about in a lot of places, so everyone come say hi!

Specialist radio experience courtesy of Fire FM Radio

After seeing one of my lecturers walk into university with a Fire FM t-shirt last week, and this being the one station I listen to the most while in Bournemouth, I immediately enquired as to why he was wearing it. Did he work there? Did he ever work there? Who did he know?

One of the key things you need to do to become a successful journalist is ask questions, almost to the extent of badgering someone. So when he let me know his mate was a specialist DJ with a weekly Friday night slot on Fire FM, my eyes lit up. This is something he must have noticed too, because instead of having to ask for a day there, he asked for my contact details. Just three days later, I found myself last night sitting in one of these shows.

The DJ last night was purely amazing. Simon Sinfield's Pure Fire slot on Fire FM just got one more regular listener as of last night. I've seen DJs work live before, but watching this guy spin records, mixing for three solid hours, whilst still managing to the the typical radio-y things like put in a few intros, shoutouts, even advert breaks (to accord with the station's policies) was almost effortless for Simon.

Simon himself was a really, really good guy. To say he knew his stuff would be an understatement - everytime I wanted to ask a tricky question to him, he'd answer with a good, hugely informative answer that left me wanting more (although, being a live DJ, often as I was about to ask more he put his headphones back on and began flicking switches and pressing buttons to mix in a fresh song).

I didn't truthfull know what to expect when I visited Si last night, but from what I've seen, from what I've been told by Si, and from what I've also heard on radio, I'm more than glad that I visited Fire FM during one of their specialist hours. Simon definitely knew his stuff, as did Niall Maloney - a daytime presenter who overlooks nighttime (specialist) shows - when he came in briefly during Si's three-hour slot. Both men were well-informed with all things radio - they knew the ins and outs of the studio, their target audiences they had down to a tee, and comparisons with other local and national radio stations were all too easy to identify (and possibly deferentiate from) for these two presenters.

Fire FM have a quota to meet when going on-air, and have pledged to have a certain amount of specialist hours of music per week. Shows like Si's therefore are, technically speaking, there to fill a quota. But knowing this made me realise that this is a really, really good thing. The slots are at perfect times in terms of their audience's needs. By this, I mean a mainstream, commercial listener wouldn't want to listen to dubstep or dance music at 8am on their way to work, but come 1am when they're the only ones awake it's a perfect time to acquaint for them.

The office itself is surprisingly small. The entrance as such was merely carpet, one desk, and a phone. Walk upstairs, past the toilets, and there's six more desks - four used for news and advertising means - and a few processing units that helps put the show on air. You've then got two studios - one main one and one used primarily for news or pre-recorded shows, and that's it. For a station that attracts ~250,000 listeners, the place in which they do it reminded me more of a pirate radio station still trying to break through. Fire FM obviously don't need the glitz and the glamour if what they're producing works, and it does. By that, I mean that Bournemouth University's student radio studio space is almost if not the same size as Fire FM's.

What Si taught me last night about radio journalism I'll take with me for a long time yet. Whether it is a field I want to get into is unclear to me yet, but with so much new information flooded into my head I'll definitely be able to take a closer look into what part of the industry I would want to break into. Specialist shows, involving live audience interaction and live mixing, is far far different to the typical newsreading slots I had on Nerve* FM at BU, and out of the two, Si made me realise the opportunities that await if I did want to explore radio journalism.


For what came from a lecturer wearing a t-shirt from a radio station, I wouldn't believe that just four days later my blog would detail my experience at the said station. For now though, all I can say is thank you Si for the experience I had, and come this Friday, 9pm, by radio will be glued onto 107.1 Fire FM.